The second round of the NHL playoffs gets underway on Wednesday night with two teams that wrapped up their opening round series relatively quickly. The Tampa Bay Lightning dispatched of the Red Wings in just five games, and they could have a real edge on the New York Islanders in Game 1 as a result in the series opener.
NHL Playoff Odds at BookMaker.eu
New York Islanders +130
Tampa Bay Lightning -150
Over/Under 5
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Lightning are the -155 favorites to win this series, and if that's any indication of what we're about to see on the Game 1 odds, they'll be favored by at least a -140 margin in this game.
Totals have basically all hung out right at a flat 5 in these playoffs, and this series won't be an exception to that, especially considering the fact that the Tampa Bay defense has been arguably the best unit in this postseason across the league.
GOALIE REPORT
Of course, having Ben Bishop at the back of that defense is the biggest reason why the Lightning have been so phenomenal at the back. Bishop has a .950 save percentage and allowed just eight goals in five games against the Red Wings.
Thomas Greiss had never started a playoff game in his career before a week and a half ago versus the Panthers, and now, he's faced a glut of shots and has come up with big saves time and time again. The story of Greiss is one straight out of Fantasyland, knowing that he's only playing because Jaroslav Halak is still dealing with a groin injury.
After posting a 1.79 GAA and a .944 save percentage against Florida though, this job is clearly Greiss' for the foreseeable future.
LIVE BETTING
Part of what the Lightning did so well in the opening round series against Detroit was clear out the mess in front of Bishop. Victor Hedman had an unheralded series, and bringing back Jonathan Drouin after he was basically excommunicated during the season gave the team another physical presence to bang around on the boards.
The Islanders were definitely outgunned by the Panthers in terms of size and strength, but they made up for it all by being in the right spot at the right time. John Tavares made a habit out of that, ultimately scoring five goals in the six games, many of which were of the loose puck variety.
QUICK PICK
Let's start by saying that this is going to be a heck of a hockey series, and we think it's set to be a long one.
What worries us for both of these teams is the fact that they really didn't get great contributions out of any line aside from their top one in the opening round. Granted, when you've got Tavares and Kyle Okposo on one top line and Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn on the other, you don't need a lot of help from other places.
The difference in the first game of this series will be Bishop, who is going to be riding high after shutting out the Wings to close the door on that series. Until he gives up more than two goals in any game, it's really tough to bet against him.
NHL Odds: Lightning 3, Islanders 1
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